Apple Cuts Ties With Anti-Gay Lobbyist

Apple Inc., the technology giant whose CEO recently came out as gay, has terminated its contract with an Alabama lobbyist it recently hired who has an anti-LGBT record, according to the three sources. Former Alabama State Rep. Jay Love, who served in the Alabama Legislature between 2003 and 2013, appears on the Alabama Ethics Commission list of lobbyists for 2015 under his full name, Julius Kenneth Love, as representing Apple, Inc. The news was first reported by the subscription-based Inside Alabama Politics. But after inquiries made by the Washington Blade about Love’s role with the company, sources said Love is no longer employed by Apple as of last Friday and the company has contracted someone else for the position.

In addition to opposing LGBT rights as a state legislator, Love authored a resolution praising beauty queen Carrie “Ladyfingers” Prejean, who famously denounced same-sex marriage during the Miss USA pageant, earning her a gig with NOM until her solo sex tape surfaced.

It’s not clear what role Love would have played in Alabama, but it might have something to do with this:

According to the Wall Street Journal and every other media outlet that hyperventilates over the next iPhone, Apple is planning to manufacture an electric self-driving car. Of course, they’ll need a place to build it, right? And where can you build a car? A Detroit resurgence makes for good Super Bowl commercials, but practically speaking, it’s a sack full of nightmares. China comes with lots of cheap labor, but the logistics of shipping cars probably rules out Foxconn sweatshops rolling out iCars. Nope. When it comes to making cars in the U.S., there’s no place like Sweet Home Alabama. After all, it’s Apple CEO Tim Cook’s sweet home, too. The Robertsdale native grew up here and attended Auburn University before rising to become the highest profile Fortune 500 executive.

Last year Hyundai, Toyota, Honda, and Mercedes-Benz collectively manufactured nearly one million cars in Alabama. Passenger vehicles are the state’s #1 export product.